Last year, the almost entirely charred remains of Boleskine House, occultist Aleister Crowley's infamous digs on the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland that Jimmy Page later owned, went up for sale. Just days after Keith and Kyra Readdy purchased the property, the remaining wing burned in a fire. The Readdys have now established the charitable organization Boleskine House Foundation to restore the storied structure and use it "to promote education on the heritage of the house, to welcome the enjoyment of its structure and surrounding gardens, and to help to generate awareness of health and wellness." To raise funds, they're selling bits of the burnt house on eBay for £35.00 to £49.00 with a certificate of authenticity.
From the Inverness-Courier:
Mr Readdy (37), described on the foundation’s website as having had a career in property management and hospitality, said: “Boleskine has such a big draw, whether people are fans of Crowley or rock and roll.
“The Boleskine estate is a treasure of heritage and history that must be secured for future generations. I believe it can stand as a landmark for culture, research, and well-being that all can benefit from.”
image from: "Crowley, A. Manifesto of the M/M/M, Ballatyne Press, 1912" (public domain)
Read the rest
For sale: Boleskine House, occultist Aleister Crowley's infamous digs on the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland that Jimmy Page later owned. The Georgian home, sitting on 9.3 hectares (22.9 acres), burned in 2015 but the exterior walls remain. The real estate agent is open to bids over £200,000.
According to the sales materials, "The opportunity now exists to restore the house and grounds to create an outstanding property subject to obtaining the necessary consents."
Consents? I say, remodel as thou wilt.
Here is the listing.
Read the rest
Boleskine House, the infamous Loch Ness estate previously owned by occultist Aleister Crowley and later Led Zeppelin guitarist (and Crowley enthusiast) Jimmy Page, was mostly destroyed in a fire last week. The 18th century residence was a second home for a Dutch family who apparently were out shopping when the fire began, likely in the kitchen. They had purchased the property several years ago from Annette MacGillivray who had bought it from Page and then renovated it.
“When we bought it, it was a hovel, just a shell," MacGillivray told The Press and Journal. "We spent a lot of money, stripping it back to the bare walls and re-roofing it. It had four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a huge drawing room, dining room, library and various smaller rooms. It is unlikely it will ever be rebuilt unless there is someone out there with an interest in the occult wanting to spend a lot of money.”
Read the rest
Infamous occultist, drug addict, and mountaineer Aleister Crowley also wrote more than 70 dark, and darkly comedic, short stories, including five that have never been published until now. Wordsworth Editions have released a new edition of The Drug and Other Stories expanded to include these unseen works, titled Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum, The Murder in X. Street, The Electric Silence, The Professor and the Plutocrat, and The Ideal Idol. From The Guardian:
British poet and artist David Tibet, in a foreword to the new edition, says that Crowley’s stories are overdue a reassessment. “It is time to reassess these witty, strange and occasionally very dark works as the rare and lovely jewels they are,” he writes, comparing Crowley’s story The Stratagem to Ray Bradbury and Jorge Luis Borges.
“The difficulty of accessing the pieces collected here for the first time – scattered as they were through obscure journals such as the Equinox or the International or appearing in extremely rare first editions – has prevented their author from being reassessed as a remarkable and idiosyncratic short-story writer of the highest order,” according to Tibet. “If Crowley’s wit is not quite as consistently barbed as that of Saki … it certainly covers a wider range of social (and sexual!) situations.”
Read the rest
